Bridge to Hell (Part One of Three)
by The Alice of Silent Tears
Summary: In a city corrupted by gangs, the safest way to live is to join a gang. Little do these gang members know that the leaders behind the two most powerful gangs are rivals in high school, Lily Kagamine and Cul Kamui. One day, the legendary Panda Heroes come out of hiding to threaten a gang war. Lily and Cul know they can't win. Nobody has won against the Panda Heroes in 20 years...
1. Prologue

"Hey, Shin-kun~! Where were you on Friday?" A little elementary schoolgirl with pigtails called to her classmate as he walked to his seat and sat down.

"Yeah, and you weren't home over the weekend. Where'd you go, Otoya?" a boy asked next to him.

"I had to go to a funeral." said the young boy quietly, glancing at his two friends for only a brief moment before staring at his thin hands on the desk.

"Oh? I'm sorry for your loss, Otoya-san."

The entire fourth grade class turned their heads as their teacher entered the classroom. She was a young, pretty woman with her long, dark hair tied behind her in a plain ponytail. She stood in front of the room, her eyes on Shin, who was picking at a scab on his elbow, still refusing to look at anyone.

Shin looked down at his desk, embarassed by the sudden attention. "W-Well, it was no big deal, sensei, it was just a distant cousin of mine. I, um, didn't really know her well...we have family that live pretty far away, and it was a long trip to get there for the service."  
"I see..." the teacher said with a small nod, taking out things for today's lesson. "May I ask where you had to go?"

The small, shy boy looked up and met his teacher's gaze. "She was from Jigokubaki, sensei. But her family arranged it so that her funeral would be in a town a few hours away, for the sake of everyone attending. But that's where she's going to be buried."

Gasps and murmurs of students sharing rumors about the forsaken city spread throughout the classroom, and the teacher silenced them after a few tense moments. She heard every story of murder and robbery in Jigokubaki, and knew it was more dangerous than any other place in Japan, and quite possibly the world...

"That's enough, class. Now, everyone get out your assignment from last night..."

The sound of groaning and shuffling papers filled the classroom, some children panicking over forgetting their homework. The rest of the day went on as usual, and everyone seemed to forget about Shin and his dead cousin from the horrid place known as "Hell Bridge".

* * *

-Jigokubaki, in the Tamashi Cemetery-

It was a cold evening. Lily stood in front of a grave, crossing her arms. Her blue eyes were filled with solemn melancholy, from an hour of mourning with her gang in recognition for their lost member.

"Dammit..." she muttered, heat escaping her lips in white puffs. "We lost another one...I'm sorry, Ruko. You were a good fighter, and a loyal gang member. Everyone in the Yellow Stars is grieving for you. You won't be forgotten."

Her hands clenched into tight fists, and her blonde brows furrowed. "Damn you Cul...I'll kill you and the rest of your fucking Red Stars if it's the last thing I do."


	2. Chapter 1

Lily arrived at school the next day, her best friend Gumi trotting next to her cheerfully. The blonde stared ahead of her, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings. Her friend noticed, and paused.

"Lily, c'mon, what's the matter?" Gumi asked, hugging Lily's arm. Lily was jerked backwards as her friend gripped her arm. She yanked her arm away, and continued walking without answering.

"It's about Rook, isn't it?" Gumi asked, walking after her. "I'm sorry about it, I really am, I should've tightened security when we heard that the Red Stars were going to make a move..."

The blonde shook her head. "No, it's not your fault, I don't blame you. I just need to realize that death comes with being in a gang. There are going to be sacrifices. I just feel bad for Teto..." she said, thinking of the young ninth grader who dated Rook, a third year in high school. Poor Teto was heartbroken, and it was rumored that she disappeared after hearing of her lover's death.

The two girls parted, and Lily arrived at her classroom, sitting down. Her jaw clenched as she thought of Cul Kamui, her worst enemy, the leader of the Red Stars. She tried to come up with a strategy for confronting the redhead, trying to decide between talking to her; the more civilized route, or starting a fight.

But if she's willing to kill now... Lily thought. I don't know if it's worth the risk of losing someone else just after Ruko.

The school day slowly inched by, hour after tedious hour. It doesn't even matter if we go to school anyway...most kids don't do their homework, and the teachers don't care. This is pointless...

Lily studied the face of her teacher. She was sure that he was involved in another gang. A small one, no doubt, and he was probably a lower-ranked member. But then again, these days, it was normal for almost everyone to be a part of one gang or another in this forsaken town. Everyone knew that it was by far the safest way to live; automatic protection, safety in numbers, a place where you belong in such a corrupted town. It also meant, however, that you were expected to sacrifice your life for your gang when the time comes. That you were only a pawn in your leader's constant battle, and must be prepared to die for him or her. In reality, Lily was in the safest position, but also the most dangerous. If she lead her gang into too many defeats and deaths, she could easily be turned on and killed. Not to mention, Lily did care for some of her closer, more loyal members, and it was like losing family when they died.

Thankfully, the bell rang, and everyone stood and rushed out of the class. Lily was the last to leave, still feeling drained. She looked up and noticed Gumi standing at the door of her classroom. Gumi was two years younger than Lily, being only in the first year. However, she was a child prodigy, and had a knack for mechanics and technology.

"Gumi. We need to talk to Cul."

* * *

I know, it's been forever since I updated...OTL I'm sorry! And this is the longest series I planned, too...but anyway, look for some new stories I'll be publishing soon. They'll be a lot less serious, I promise :) Thanks for reading~!


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